Balloon Launch

On Saturday morning we got up at early thirty to see the annual balloon launch. We've done this several times and it really is worth getting up so early, but getting up is hard.

First, they unpack the balloons and stretch them out.

Then they turn on a loud fan to fill it with air.

The balloon starts to fill out.

Then they turn on the propane, the heat.

The balloon traps the heat and it starts to rise.

Then it's fully inflated awaiting the perfect moment to add more heat to be able to take off.

Here's the "lead" balloon. It's always the first one off. The others fall as soon as possible.

This is the Coke balloon. It's the tallest balloon in the world.

And of course Smokey the Bear.

The pink Piggy Bank is a show favorite.

This year they had Darth Vader. He was pretty cool. Around him, they had Storm Troopers to add to the effect. When this guy sat up the theme song played.

We all had a great time. There have been times when it was pretty chilly - this was not one of those times. The balloons were delayed a short while because of a Life Flight helicopter. So when they finally were able to launch, it was warmer than expected. They weren't able to stay up for long. When we left, there were several that were already landing. It was just too warm to stay up. But it still, was really neat to watch. And of course the kids loved every minute.

Then we came home and took a nap. That was great. Later that night, Mister, Bestie, Bestie's nephews and I sat on our roof and watched some fireworks. It was beautiful night. There was a nice warm breeze. It was great!